A New Beginning
by fidgetlovezeu
Summary: Katniss is taking care of Prim and trying to keep up with everything else in her hectic life.
1. Chapter 1

As I woke up a chill went through me, _'reaping day' _I thought. The room was still relatively dark as I turned and got out of bed. I heard heavy breathing, _Prim_, I said under my breath. Her breathing got heavier as I walked closer to the bed where she and my mother, Renee, slept.

"Katniss don't, don't die." she was having a nightmare.

"Prim, it's okay." I cooed as I stroked her hair.

Prim was only 12, the age where you can be chosen for competing in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a yearly event where two people from each district get chosen, one man and one woman between the ages of 12 and 18, to fight to the death in an enclosed arena until only one person stands. This all started because of the Capitol. America was turned into thirteen districts and we had one Capitol. District 13 started an uprising, rebelling against the Capitol, and that started a huge war, soon enough District 13 was no more.

As I was getting dressed Prim's cat, Butterball, was hissing at me. I tried to find a good cat for her and Butterball was a nice cat that I got for trading a wild turkey at the Hob. He was a Chartreux cat with a good weight, but after the years he started disliking me and took a favoring to Prim.

"Shut up you dumb cat." I said with annoyance in my voice. I don't know why Butterball hated me, I never did anything to him. If anything Prim was worse to him than me.

While I was walking to the woods I saw only one person outside, Peeta Mellark, the baker's son. He was a good looking guy nonetheless, but he wasn't approved by my mother. Peeta was doing something that involved bread, I couldn't be too sure though. In the bakery window I saw someone hitting someone with a spoon. I hoped he didn't have an abusive family.

When I got to the fence that surrounded District 12, I noticed that the electricity was on. The electricity was never on, only for a few hours a day if there was a need for it to be on.

"Gale!" I yelled into the forest. Gale was my hunting partner who was much taller than Peeta by a landslide. They were both handsome guys for District 12. During the tribute parade and interviews there have been a few nice looking guys from Districts 1 and 2, but not District 12.

"Ahh!" Gale snuck up behind me and almost gave me a heart attack.

"What was that for?" I asked raising my voice.

"Shhhh. It was just a joke Katniss. Don't be so loud we're not supposed to be here." He said looking pleased at his prank.

"I almost had a heart attack, Gale. You didn't have to scare me like that." I said. It was obvious that I had a hint of laughter in my voice.

"Well what do we have here?" Gale said as he looked at the fence. "The electricity is never on." Gale threw a stick at the fence and the electricity went off.

"Gale," I said, "there could be mutts running around that's probably why the fence was on." Mutts or Muttations were strange creatures created by the Capitol that were very deadly.

"Nah, they only had it on because it was Reaping Day so no one would run into the forest." Gale said sounding like a very bossy kind of guy.

"Gale it's never been on during Reaping Day before." I said

"Whatever. I'm going in anyway." He said in an intimidating way.

"I'll wait here!" I yelled to him as he was going over the fence.

After a couple of minutes, about 20 I should say, I heard a yelp of pain. I ignored it but I heard it again. Then growling.

"Gale! I'm coming!" I yelled to the forest.

"Katniss don't! There are mutts!" he yelled. It was obvious he was crying.

"Gale I'm not leaving you!" I climbed over the fence only to be face to face with a mutt. _Crap._ I thought. I pulled out my bows and just stabbed it in the neck. Easy kill. I smelled the very strong scent of blood.

Soon enough I saw Gale, wounded in the leg with a dead mutt beside him. He wasn't wounded too much but he was alive, I was sure of that.

"Gale! I told you that there were mutts! Damn you!" I yelled at him. I saw tears in his eyes.

"Easy kill that mutt was. Killed it by punching it in the neck." He was obviously proud of his accomplishment. I was just happy that he was alive and well.

"Gale how are we going to get you out of here without people noticing you?" I asked staring off into the woods to see if there were more mutts.

"Walking." He said. To my astonishment he got up and walked like nothing was wrong. "Come on we don't wanna be late to the reaping" he laughed and we went back to our houses.


	2. Chapter 2

As I got home Prim was brushing Butterball, I knew because only he made that sound with his ratty old fur.

"Hi Katniss." My mother said in a very pleasant way. "How was hunting?"

"Oh it was good." I sounded a little suspicious. "We were just nervous so we didn't catch anything." She knew I was lying.

"Katniss, honey, tell me. Did you and Gale…"

"No mom!" I cut her off "We found mutts." I dropped my head and itched my arm.

"Oh." Her voice dropped at the end of her sentence. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"Yea. Gale got a scratch on his leg, that's all." I didn't make eye contact, I was moving my foot over a loose nail on the floor.

"Honey go get Gale." She was looking in her medicine bin. "Prim leave that old cat alone and go get in those clothes I picked out for you."

As I was walking there I saw Peeta staring me. I hoped he didn't see me and Gale in the forest.

"Hey." He called

I just looked down and walked to Gale's house. I looked up at Peeta and he was looking confused. He was swearing at his mother.

_SMACK!_

Peeta was hurt. Badly. I just kept walking acting like I didn't see anything.

Once I was at Gale's house I knocked on the door. Gale answered. I pulled his arm and ran to the bakery, then grabbed Peeta's arm and went to my house.

"Well what do we have here?" My mother said "Now Peeta did you go in the forest too?"

"No. I was smacked by my mother." He said. He had blood running down his face.

"I'll fix you boys up. Katniss please go bathe and get dressed. We will take Peeta and Gale with us on our way to the reaping and give them back to their families." She was already making some ointments and medicines for them.

As I got in the bathtub and started scrubbing I realized that I had a little bruise. I poked it. _Ouch. _I left it alone and started washing my face.

Once I got out I saw the dress my mother laid out for me. It was light blue with a little bow in the back. _Beautiful._ I thought. I put it on and looked at myself in the mirror. I had never looked so pretty before. My mother walked in just in time and braided a very intricate braid in my hair. _Even more beautiful. _

As we were walking to the reaping Peeta's mom was outside Gale's house looking angry.

"Peeta Mellark! What were you doing with those, those seam girls?" she yelled and I could see spit coming out of her mouth. _Ew._

"I was getting my cut treated. She said it was free." He was looking at the ground and he kicked a pebble.

They walked away not making a sound.

When we got to the reaping Prim went over to the area where the 12 year olds were placed. I went to the 16 year old area. I saw Peeta on the other side but in the 16 age boy section. As I was looking for Gale Effie, the escort for our district, walked on the stage with the only victor alive from District 12, Haymitch Abernathy, walked behind and sat down.

"Welcome, welcome to the 74th annual Hunger Games, and may the odds be _ever _in your favor." Ugh she said that every year.

After the video we see every year telling the history behind the Hunger Games she says "Ladies first!"

My heart pounded as she pulled out a slip of paper said _Primrose Everdeen. _


End file.
